Riley Gets the Girl
by The Randomist
Summary: Kelsie Greene meets a darkhaired geek in glasses and Converse sneakers. Abigail thinks Ben is cheating on her. And when a new legend surfaces, why does Larry Daly know more about this treasure's history than Ben? AN deleted, this is the real chapter 11
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of National Treasure; if I did, Riley SO would have been the main character, not Ben. I do own the characters Kelsie Greene, Melissa Night, and Stevie Armenac. I also own the bakery The Sweet Tooth. (okay, I don't own an actual bakery, but I will someday and I'll name it that, so nobody better steal the name!)

A/N: This is my first fanfic ever! I would appreciate any reviews especially since my story has no plot yet except the romance part…..

I also realize that this chapter is very short. It is just the prologue, though; the next chapter is longer

**Prologue/Chapter 1 **

4th of July Celebration Party at the National Archives Building July 4th, 6:00 pm-11:00 pm; Fireworks Show Included Special Guests of Honor: Benjamin Gates and Abigail Chase of the Treasure Trio!

"Liss, I still don't understand why you dragged me to this stupid thing. You know I don't give a hoot about history."

"Well, I didn't want to come alone," her friend Melissa responded, "how pathetic is that? Besides, Kels, how could you not be interested in this? These guys found a lost treasure underneath a church based on a map they found on the back of the _Declaration of Independence_! How can that not be cool?"

Kelsie retorted, "Because I don't care at all about history. Math and computers are my area of expertise; you should know that by now."

"Then how did you not fail American Studies in high school?"

"Because it was just memorizing a bunch of dates! Dates are numbers; numbers I can handle."

"Well, it's not like you had anywhere better to be tonight," Melissa shot back, "unless you wanted to let Stupid Steve take you out again."

"Okay, fine, I'll stop whining about you making me come," Kelsie sighed. "I do have one question though: how did you manage to get us in? I thought this party was booked months ago."

"It was," Melissa admitted. "But I reserved tickets last Fourth of July, before the whole National Treasure thing happened that made this party so popular." She laughed as Kelsie rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," Kelsie said, bored. "You can go gawk at some old yellow papers and gush over your new idols. I'm going to stay in the back. We can meet back here at 10 to watch the fireworks display, OK?"

"Okay. See you later."

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. Enter: RILEY!

A/N: Okay, enter: RILEY!!! He's so dreamy...I love his eyes...Anyway, he's in this chapter……..alot. YAY!

Also I don't think I made it clear in the story: Story is set 1 year after the movie. Kelsie and Melissa are in their sophomore year in college; they're on summer break during the story and visiting D.C. Also, the Treasure Trio is Ben, Abigail, and Riley - but I'm pretty sure you all figured that out on your own.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything about National Treasure-(I wish I owned Riley, though)-I do own Kelsie and Melissa and The Sweet Tooth Bakery (coming up in a later chapter)

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Kelsie made her way through the crowd to the back of the room. She turned and spotted Melissa waiting eagerly in line to speak to the now-famous Ben Gates and Abigail Chase. She smiled at her friend's excitement, and then retreated to the back of the room where there were fewer people.

Actually, there was just one person, sitting all alone and apparently deep in thought. Intrigued, Kelsie studied him. He was wearing a navy blue hoodie over a dark gray T-shirt, jeans, and Converse sneakers. He had messy dark hair and was wearing a pair of reading glasses. Kelsie recognized a fellow computer nerd when she saw one, and decided to take a chance and go talk to him. Besides, for a geek, he was pretty hot.

"Enjoying the party?" Kelsie asked as she sat down next to him.

"Huh-what?" He seemed startled, like he hadn't noticed anyone there. "Did you say something?"

She smiled. "I asked if you were enjoying the party, but I guess if you were thinking that hard, you probably don't even know there is a party." She turned to look at him and found herself looking into a pair of the deepest, bluest eyes she had ever seen. Shaking herself out of the little mini-trance those eyes put her in, she asked, "What are you doing over here all by yourself?"

He grinned. "You're over here, too. I could ask you the same thing."

"I asked you first." When he didn't respond, she sighed. "Okay, fine. My name's Kelsie Greene; I didn't really want to come to this thing, but my friend dragged me. Your turn."

He nodded in agreement. "I didn't want to come here either, but I didn't have a choice. I figured if I stayed in the back, I wouldn't have a bunch of people trying to engage in conversation about some stupid history stuff that I don't care about. I'm Riley," he finished.

Kelsie recognized the name, but she couldn't remember where she'd heard it before. She brushed the thought away; it didn't really matter. "So," she asked, "do you want to sit back here and hate history together?"

Riley shot a quick look at the other side of the room. "Well, technically, I'm supposed to be up there with Ben and Abi, but no one seems to have noticed that I'm not, so sure. Why not?"

Kelsie's eyes widened in surprise and excitement as she realized why his name sounded so familiar. "Wait. You're Riley _Poole_? The Sexy Sidekick from the Treasure Trio? Wait – I mean – oops..." She slapped a hand to her forehead, blushing furiously. She hadn't intended to let slip that she called him that sometimes. Not even Melissa knew she called him that.

Riley raised his eyebrows and leaned forward, grinning. "Sexy Sidekick, huh?" he asked suggestively. "Is that what people are calling me now?"

"Um, no...it's kinda just me..." Kelsie told him, still blushing. "I think most people know you as Ben Gates' friend, or the Computer Geek."

His face fell and he slumped back into his chair, crossing his arms across his chest defensively. "I'm not a geek," he muttered, scowling.

Biting her tongue to keep from laughing, Kelsie thought, _'He looks so adorable like that: practically pouting over a silly nickname!'_ She decided to change the subject though, and asked him something she had been wondering about for a while, now that she had the chance to ask him.

"I've been wondering about that tracking model you used to help Ben find that ship, the _Charlotte_..." she began.

"What about it?" Riley asked, curiously. He sat up straight again and looked at her. Once again, she was completely mesmerized by those eyes.

"Well, do you think you could show me how it works? I've been putting together something similar, but I just can't get everything to work the way I want it too. If it's not too much trouble, maybe you could give me a few pointers?" Kelsie realized she was rambling, but she kept talking. "Of course, I realize if you're too busy, but –" She trailed off when she noticed Riley laughing at her. "What's so funny?"

"I've been sitting here staring at the wall for the past hour, letting my mind wander and then trying to follow my own train of thought backwards to where I started. How busy do you think I am?" he asked, still chuckling.

"You do that, too?" Kelsie asked, excited. "My whole family thinks I'm nuts because I like to retrace my thoughts when I get bored. I thought I was the only person who did that."

"Yeah, no one really understands why I do it, either," Riley agreed. "Anyway, I have my laptop with me; it's out in my car if you want to come check out the program right now." He looked around at all the people discussing historical facts and events as they admired the documents displayed all around the room. "It's not like we'll miss anything interesting here."

Kelsie stood up. "Sure, I just need to let Melissa know I'll be going outside," she explained. She pulled out her cell phone and sent her friend a quick text message. "Okay! Lead the way," she said, and followed Riley through the crowd of people to the exit.

Riley held the door open for her and bowed. "Ladies first," he said grandly.

Kelsie curtsied. "Why, thank you, kind sir," she told him, struggling to keep a straight face. She stepped outside, but stopped when Riley burst out laughing. "Hey!" she said, whirling around. "What are you laughing at me for? That's not very nice!"

Smiling mischievously, Riley followed her outside. "I've changed my mind," he informed her. "I've decided being a geek is not so bad. It has its upsides, I guess." He laughed again.

Kelsie groaned, remembering the message printed on the back of her T-shirt:

GEE**K IS S**EXY

She glared at him. How dare he tease her like that, she thought. When he just laughed again, she mock-punched him in the arm and said, "Shut up!"

"Hey!" Riley protested, rubbing his arm where she had hit him. "Okay, you asked for it," he warned as he started chasing her around the grounds outside the Archives Building.

* * *

PLEASE REVIEW!! 


	3. Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch AKA Party!

A/N Sorry, another really short chapter! Please don't hurt me! Ch. 4 is _REALLY_ long, I promise! I've just noticed, though, my longer chapters are the ones with Riley in them...I'm sure that's significant, lol. Anyway, I was going through really bad writer's block with chapter 4 because I had 9 pages written out and had to throw all but the first page out...(sob), but I figured it out and I'm almost done writing the evil 4th chap so here's chapter 3 and I'll get 4 up as soon as it's typed!

I also realize that my Riley was a little OOC; he wasn't the sarcastic, pessimistic, smart-aleck we all know and love...this chapter should clear some of that up and explain why he wasn't all whiny... Sorry if it's cheesy or cliché; again, it's my first fic ever. I put Kelsie's "keyboard signature" on here, but when I saved, it deleted most of the symbols...sorry you all don't get to see it; trust me it looks really cool!

I LOVE RILEY-just in case you hadn't already gotten that-(heehee, author's notes are FUN! You can say anything you want! No one can stop you!)-GO GEEKINESS! WOOT!

Hehe, I just noticed my author's note is almost longer than this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with National Treasure, and too many authors on this site claim to have Riley locked up in their closets for me to even have a chance of owning him...plus I have a sliding-door closet, so it's not like I could lock him up in there anyway, lol.

And Melissa (yes, she's my best friend who the character Melissa is loosely based off of), if you're reading this, don't get mad at my Riley obsession, I know it's annoying but IT'S YOUR FAULT! YOU LET ME BORROW THE MOVIE AND FALL IN LOVE WITH THE SUPER DUPER GEEK MAN! HAHA!

Okay, I'm done now, just in case anyone is still reading, enjoy chapter 3, and please REVIEW!!!!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Melissa felt her phone buzzing and took it out to find a text from Kelsie:

I'M GOING OUTSIDE. I WON'T BE LONG.

Melissa grinned at Kelsie's favorite signature – using only keyboard symbols, no letters.

She looked up ahead of her to where Ben Gates and Abigail Chase were meeting people and talking to their fans. She saw Ben lean over to Abigail and was close enough to hear what he said: "I don't think I've ever seen him so cheerful and relaxed. He's usually so moody and uptight."

"I know," Abigail replied. "I don't know who that girl is talking with him, but I think she's good for him. I mean, look! He's laughing. Riley never laughs," she continued, pointing toward the door.

Melissa looked around to see what her two favorite celebrities were talking about, and saw what looked like her best friend leaving the party with famous Rile Poole, official Computer Geek of the Treasure Trio. They were laughing at something, and clearly having a good time.

"Are you alright, dear? You look like you're in shock." Abigail looked at the young girl, concerned. "Do you need to sit down?"

"What? Oh, no – I'm fine," Melissa said absently, and in a bit of a daze. _That couldn't have been Kelsie,_ she thought, _she can barely carry on a conversation with a guy she knows, let alone laugh and flirt with a celebrity she's just met._ "That couldn't have been her," she concluded, not realizing she'd spoken aloud.

"Who?" Ben joined the conversation, wondering just what on earth was going on.

"Kelsie."

"Who's Kelsie?"

"My best friend."

"What about her?" Ben asked, becoming more confused by the second.

"I think that was her that just left. She texted me, saying she was going out, but she didn't mention anything about–"

"Wait!" Abigail cut in. "Are you saying you know the girl that got our Riley to laugh?"

"Yes, why?" It had just registered with Melissa that these were the two people she'd been dying to meet for months, and they were both talking to her.

Abigail just smiled. "Come with me. I may need your help in making sure those two stay in touch."

"Oh, no," Ben groaned he watched his girlfriend pull this unknowing bystander into one of her crazed matchmaking schemes.

-Little did any of them know, Riley and Kelsie didn't need any help

They were getting to know and like each other well enough on their own.-

* * *

Please REVIEW, maybe it'll inspire me to get done with ch. 4 faster? Thank you to the 3 of you who have reviewed already, especially daisyduke80, you reviewed twice! 


	4. In Which Riley Makes a Fool of Himself

**A/N**: OH, NO! I never described Kelsie! You all don't know what my main character looks like! So, I'll take a few moments to describe her now, since I don't think I'll be able to find a way to work it into the story. Kelsie is 5-something feet tall (I don't know how tall, exactly, about a few inches shorter than Riley), and slightly heavy (not chubby exactly, but she's definitely not a skinny supermodel), with medium-length straight red hair and emerald-green eyes (cause they can't be blue; no one can compete with Riley's blue eyes). There! All done!

This chapter came out longer than I thought; I just wrote and wrote and all of a sudden I was all _WHOA, SLOW DOWN! _12 pages (handwritten) and I'm still not done! So…I'm just going to split it so I can get some of it posted. Heehee, my English teacher caught me writing and thought it was my essay; she thinks I'm going to have a super-duper, extra-long essay now, but I haven't even started…oops, lol!

Here's the part where I _seriously_ embarrass my main characters…like I said, it's fun to do that! (I'm probably going to change my summary again – it's become my signature move – so if you have no idea what I mean, that's okay. You probably just missed the short window of time when I mentioned something about that in my summary.) Three cheers for Riley! He's so hot! 'Kay, I'm done now.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned National Treasure I would have put myself in the movie as Riley's girlfriend. Riley had no girlfriend in the movie-figure it out. Blah, blah, blah, I own Kelsie and Melissa and the Sweet Tooth Bakery (making an appearance in this chapter and however many chapters after that my evil chapter 4 ends up being split into). Again, I wish I owned Riley, but so many other authors have him locked up in their closets I'm wondering how they all share custody, lol. Enjoy chapter 4!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"Okay, I give up! You win! Uncle!" Kelsie panted, collapsing onto the grass. "I'm done. I can't run anymore."

"Good," Riley said, breathing heavily. He plopped down on the grass next to her. "I win. So, what do I get for winning?" he asked innocently.

"The pleasure of knowing you have a bigger lung capacity than I do?" she tried, still struggling to catch her breath.

"That doesn't count," he whined. "What kind of a prize is that?"

"Well, what did you have in mind?"

"Dinner?" he suggested.

"Wait a minute, what?" Kelsie was confused. "Didn't you have dinner at the party?"

"Fine, snack then," Riley amended. "There's this little bakery a few blocks away; we can look at the tracking program there just as easily as we could here. Please?" he begged, giving her the puppy-dog-eyes. "I really don't want to go back in to the Historyfest. Old documents smell funny," he finished, wrinkling his nose.

"Okay, fine. Let's go," she laughed. "One question, though: does the Declaration of Independence smell funny?"

He was ready with his comeback. "No, it smells like lemons," he informed her. He stood up and offered a hand to help Kelsie to her feet. She followed him as he led the way to where he had parked his beloved car, a bright red convertible Ferrari. Placing one hand on the door and the other on the headrest, he swung himself expertly into the car and settled into the driver's seat. "Hop in," he invited, turning to look at her.

Kelsie burst into a fit of giggles. "How many times did you practice that in your driveway before you decided you looked cool enough jumping into your car?" she asked, still giggling.

Riley pouted. "It's supposed to impress girls, not make them laugh at me." He glanced sideways at her, but she was still standing there, waiting for an answer. "About 20 times right after I got the car, then a few times a day for the next couple weeks after that," he admitted.

She shook her head and hopped into the car as easily as he had. "What a geek!" she teased as she reached for the seatbelt.

"Yes, I am," he declared proudly. He leaned back and Kelsie blushed when she realized he was rereading the back of her shirt. "Yes, I am most definitely a geek. But you know what?" He leaned over and whispered into her ear: "I think you're a bit of a geek, too."

As Kelsie sat and pondered that last comment, Riley started the ignition of his precious car and pulled away from the parking space. "So, where exactly is it we're going?" she asked, changing the subject away from the whole "geek" thing; she'd figure out what was going on later.

"It's this little bakery I know," Riley told her. "It's just this small, family-owned business a couple blocks away."

"Hmmm, really," she said, nodding. It wasn't really a question.

He could tell by her voice she was hiding something, but he didn't know what – or why. He put the thought out of his mind and focused on his driving. After just a few minutes (there wasn't a lot of traffic; everyone was either watching fireworks somewhere or at home, lighting fireworks), he pulled into a parking space in front of a little building. A sign overhead read:

**The Sweet Tooth**

**Bakery & Catering**

Riley grabbed a red backpack from the trunk and they both got out of the car. Kelsie followed Riley, but nearly bumped into him when he stopped in the doorway. She watched, amused, as he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "Man, I love this place," he sighed happily. "I stumbled here on accident sometime in April this year and I just kept coming back."

He took another deep breath, savoring the delicious odors coming from the building. "I especially love the éclairs they sell here – they just started offering them at the beginning of the summer. I found out they are made fresh on Saturday mornings, so I come every Saturday afternoon to buy any they have left–are you okay?" he asked worriedly, breaking off from his story. He rushed over to help Kelsie, who seemed to be having a coughing fit. She was doubled over and seemed to be having trouble breathing.

"Yes," she managed. It came out sounding more like a squeak than anything, though, so she cleared he throat and tried again. "Yes. I'm alright," she confirmed in a more normal voice.

"You sure?" Riley asked doubtfully.

"Positive." She smiled. "See? I'm fine." She put a hand over her mouth and looked at the ground for a second, then lifted her head and took a deep breath. "Come on, let's go inside," she urged, grabbing his hand and pulling him through the doorway.

Riley was not quite sure what had happened. He was fairly certain that Kelsie had been trying not to laugh, but he didn't know why. He hadn't said anything _that_ funny, at least not that he knew. Unless she thought pastries were absolutely hilarious...but that made no sense at all. Something very strange was going on. He followed Kelsie into the bakery. Seeing no one around, he walked over to the counter and knocked on it. _Tap, tap-tap, tap-tap! _

"MR. RILEY'S HERE!!!!!!" two voices shouted in unison. Two little red-and-blue blurs came racing out of the back room, both shouting excitedly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, you two!" Riley chuckled at the twins' excitement and bent down so he was on their level. "I can't understand what either of you are saying when you both come running out shouting at the same time like that. Where's your mother?"

Jennifer and Jessica Johnson, age 9, helped their mother clean up the bakery in the evenings. "Mom's loading the dishwasher," Jenny, the older twin (by about 3 minutes), informed him seriously. "MO-OM!!" she yelled toward the kitchen before turning to Riley again. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Yeah, what are you doing here?" Jessie echoed. "It's not Saturday."

Riley laughed. "I know it's not Saturday," he told the girls. "Aren't I allowed to come see you two sweeties on a Monday if I want?"

"Of course. You're welcome here any day of the week, Mondays included."

Riley stood up and smiled at the bakery owner who had just come in and was drying her hands off on a towel. "Hey, Mrs. Johnson," he greeted her, brushing off his knees.

"Hello, Riley." She smiled at him. Then she noticed the redheaded girl behind him. "Kelsie!" she exclaimed, rushing over to give her a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Aunt Julie," Kelsie responded as she hugged her aunt.

* * *

Haha, now what? 

Major oops on Riley's part, but can anyone guess what **_else_** he's going to find out about Kelsie in the next chapter to embarrass himself even **_more_**!?! You have to review to learn...but points to anyone who figures it out!

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far: BG Sparrow, daisyduke80, Nelle07, closet geek, nat, and Tikaani!

(I copied & pasted names from the review board, so if I spelled your name wrong, you did first)


	5. The Further Embarrassment of Riley

A/N: Okay, I know I said 20, and there's still one more to go, but I can't wait...I'm posting anyway. Plus I doubt all of you read my summary-that I change on a regular basis-(but I'm not changing it anymore for a while), so I'm putting the new warning here:

**Chapter 6 stays in my notebook unless I get a bunch of reviews on this chapter, 'cuz I'm greedy and I want reviews. ****I ain't even gonna type it unless I get alot. And yes, I check on my story stats, so I know there's a lot more of you out there reading this thing than reviewing. Yes, that means you.**

However, a **BIG** thank you to all of you who did review. You people keep me writing. Kay, done with that. And now I just have to say, YAY! My Melissa-ness has read my story now! Woot! The person I based one of the characters off of likes my story! Yippee!

Also, I know in the 1st chap, Kelsie and Melissa said they'd meet back at 10; I'm changing that to 9:30 for purposes of the story that you won't see until chapter 7.

Also (I start a lot of sentences in my author's notes with the word "also," don't I?), if at all you think Kelsie looks like a Mary Sue in this chapter, and possibly the next two, SHE'S NOT. Riley just gets to see some of her strengths here. Kelsie _is_ based off me, so all the strengths she has are mine too, so they aren't unrealistic. So there.

Enjoy the further Embarrassment of Riley (heehee)

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"_Hi, Aunt Julie," Kelsie responded as she hugged her aunt._

"I'm here with Riley," Kelsie whispered quickly to her aunt Julie. "I don't think he knows anything, or he wouldn't have brought me here," she finished as they broke the embrace.

Riley whirled around, eyes wide in shock. "You – you're – you – aunt – I _WHAT?!?_"

Kelsie tried not to laugh at Riley's dumbfounded expression as Julie Johnson, owner of the Sweet Tooth Bakery, mother to the twins, and Kelsie Greene's favorite aunt, explained, "Kelsie's my niece. She and her roommate Melissa are staying with me while they are here in D.C. for the summer. She helps out here in the bakery on weekends – in fact, Riley," she continued, her brown eyes sparkling, "she's the one who makes those éclairs you love so much." She looked innocently at him as her niece collapsed into the nearest chair, giggling uncontrollably.

"Um, oh, okay," Riley mumbled sheepishly. Suddenly Kelsie's coughing fit as they came into the bakery made perfect sense. He had been raving to her about those éclairs, not knowing she was the one who made them. He could feel his face heating up, so he took the time to diligently stare at the floor.

Jessica chose that moment to point out the obvious. "Look, Mommy, Riley's face is redder than your strawberry pie!" She tugged on her mother's arm and pointed at the red-faced person in question.

Her mother couldn't keep a straight face any longer and she started laughing as well. Riley eventually joined in, Jessica's innocent little observation having broken the tension, and his embarrassment. Kelsie got to her feet and walked over to him, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

"Nice one, Super Geek," she teased, patting him on the back before bursting into another fit of giggles.

Riley saw his chance and took it; he needed to direct the attention away from himself if he wanted to retain any shred of dignity. "Super Geek?" he asked suggestively, raising his eyebrows. "A step up from plain geek, isn't it? I like it."

"Did I miss something?" Mrs. Johnson asked. She turned to look at her niece, who had stopped laughing now and was shaking her head at Riley, eyes wide.

"No, Riley, don't!" Kelsie begged.

Smirking, Riley put his hands on Kelsie's shoulders and, ignoring her protests, gently turned her around so the back of her shirt was visible. "If geek is sexy," he reasoned, completely oblivious to the ice-cold daggers she was shooting at him with her eyes, "then I have no choice but to assume that Super Geek is…super sexy!"

"Shut up, you!" she sputtered, wrenching away from him and pounding him in the arm.

"Why should I?" he tossed back

"If you don't," Kelsie threatened, only half-serious, "I'll stop baking here on weekends. You can't buy my éclairs if I don't make them," she pointed out triumphantly.

Riley didn't even flinch. "Then I won't show you my tracking model," he said evenly. He slid the backpack holding his laptop off his shoulder, setting it down on a table next to him. He pointed out, "Isn't that the whole reason we left the American Historyfest?"

"Oh, yeah!" Kelsie frowned – now she had no comeback. "I forgot about that."

"Ahem!" Mrs. Johnson cleared her throat loudly, interrupting their silly bickering. It was obvious, really, that Kelsie and Riley liked each other, so she wisely decided to give them some time alone.

Once she had their full attention, she told them, "You know, Jen and Jess had both really wanted to see the Cul-de-Sac of Fire tonight, but I couldn't take them since I had to be here at the bakery. However, seeing as you two are the first ones to stop by tonight, I don't see any reason I couldn't take them and let you two stay here. Of course, if Kelsie wouldn't mind cleaning up, that is." She looked at her niece expectantly.

"Oh, sure, no problem," Kelsie assured her.

"Great!" She smiled at Kelsie, then turned to her twins. "Go grab your jackets, you two," she instructed them. "I know it's a warm night, but I don't want either of you to leave them here. Oh, and do you have your key with you, Kelsie?"

She nodded, pulling her keychain out of her pocket. "Yep, it's right here," she confirmed.

"Good. You can lock up whenever you want–like I said, no one else has been in tonight. Help yourselves to something from the kitchen; just don't touch anything in the display cases, okay?" Just then, Jenny and Jessie came stampeding out of the kitchen, matching denim jackets in hand.

"Come on, Mommy, let's _go_! We're gonna miss the biggest ones!" they shouted together, jumping up and down in excitement. They each took hold of one of their mother's hands and attempted to pull her out the door.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming; stop pulling on me." Their mother sighed. "See you later, Kelsie; bye, Riley," she said to them as she let her little girls drag her to the car.

"Have fun, you guys!" Kelsie called after them as the girls scrambled into the backseat of their little station wagon.

Riley jumped in, "Yeah, have fun watching stuff blow up!"

Kelsie gasped. "Riley!" she hissed, outraged.

He cringed. That hadn't come out quite the way he'd intended. He well remembered his last experience with a true explosion. One of the worst days of his life; turning point in their search for the Templar treasure. The day Ian turned on them and the hunt changed from a simple, harmless quest into a life-or-death struggle to protect history. And guns got pointed at him. Riley didn't like guns.

Kelsie's voice broke into his thoughts. "Hey, whoa, are you okay?" _Did my little outburst hit him that hard?_ she thought. "I'm sorry I snapped at you," she apologized. "I just...well–" She paused as she tried to explain. "It's just that Jen and Jess are a couple of little pyros, and they don't need any more encouragement; they like fire too much as it is. But it doesn't matter; they probably didn't hear you because they were already in the car." _And I'm rambling, so I'm going to shut up now,_ she thought.

"Okay," Riley said quietly. He shifted his feet and put his hands in his pockets. No one said anything for a minute.

Kelsie wanted desperately to break the awkward silence. "So, what were you thinking about?" she inquired.

"The _Charlotte_," he muttered, looking at the floor.

_**Yikes!**_ She wasn't expecting that. Kelsie knew all about what had happened that day in the Arctic. She remembered when the story of the treasure first came out; Melissa had been _obsessed_ with the story. Her best friend had hung on to every word, taped every news story and read every interview about the "Treasure Trio." Anything even remotely related to the story of the modern-day Indiana Jones or his girlfriend from Germany–even old stories about the Templar Knights and the Free Masons–she had lapped it all up. And, since Melissa was such a loudmouth, anything she found out, Kelsie had heard. Kelsie could recall about 8 different accounts describing what had happened to the ship they found that meerschaum pipe in.

"I'm sorry," she said gently, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. "But, speaking of the _Charlotte_ and the tracking model..." Riley looked at her questioningly. "Well, get your laptop out and let's get started!" She gestured over to where he had deposited his bag not too long ago.

Riley gazed at his bag, then looked back at Kelsie. "But I'm _hungry!_" he whined. "Can't we at least have something to eat first before I die of starvation?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up, you big baby." She strode off. "C'mon."

He went after her to find her in the kitchen, measuring out flour. She already had butter melting in a pan on the stove. She took a measuring cup, poured some water into the pan, then turned the heat up. She stirred the flour into the boiling butter-water, then beat in a few eggs.

"Where's the recipe?" he wondered aloud.

"Don't need one," Kelsie responded, not looking up. "I've made this enough times to have it memorized."

Riley just watched in amazement. He was impressed with how quickly and efficiently she worked in the kitchen. Before he knew it, she had a pan in the oven and was pulling a carton of heavy cream from the fridge. He watched her measure cream and sugar into the bowl of one of the big mixers. Well, it looked big to him; however, there were a couple more mixers double the size and one that was easily three times as big. This was a bakery kitchen, after all. In just a few minutes, she shut off the mixer and had a big bowl of whipped cream. Riley couldn't resist walking over and sticking his finger in the bowl.

"**HEY!**" Kelsie protested when she caught him. "Cut that out!" she scolded and smacked his hand before twisting the bowl from the "LOCK" position and removing it from the mixer. She stuck the bowl in the fridge and glared at him. "I was going to let you help me make the glaze, but now I'm not sure if I can trust you not to eat it all. So why don't you leave while I make it. Go get your computer set up, and I'll be out in a minute. Okay? Now, go! Shoo!" she ordered and waved a spoon at him menacingly.

Riley ducked and ran out of the kitchen. "Okay, okay, I'm going, I'm shooing! Just don't hit me!" he called out as he left.

* * *

Okay, would you guys let me know if I went into too much detail about the baking part? I am a baker myself, so it just didn't feel complete to me unless I described it all...I don't know. And if anyone's interested in the complete written-out recipe for the éclairs, just email me and I'll send it to you. However, if enough people want it, I'll just post it on my profile. 

Please Review! It just takes a minute...just press that little button there...I'll update sooner, and you know it!


	6. The Best Way to a Man's Heart

A/N: I just feel the need to tell everyone: I JUST GOT MY ACT TEST RESULTS BACK AND I GOT A 32!!!!!!!!!! WOOT! And I'm so happy I think I'll update, lol.

So, all you wonderful peoples, thank you guys so much for the reviews! They make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, lol. You guys are great! I am going to post the éclair recipe in a blog on my Myspace...I thought a recipe randomly on my profile here would look weird. So that'll be up in the next couple of days (scratch that-next week), and there's a link on my profile page to my Myspace page. So, check it out. If anyone out there reading this has a Myspace account, feel free to add me...just let me know you're a reader from FF, okay? Cool.

On to the story! And, in this chapter, you get a smidgen of that plot it took me so long to even think up...The plot is officially in the story now! Woot!**

* * *

**

**Chapter 6**

Riley sat down at the table, got his laptop out, and powered it on. He typed in his password–322DST–and looked sideways over toward the kitchen. Kelsie still hadn't come out yet, so he opened a game of FreeCell and promptly got himself stuck. The toolbar at the top was flashing, which meant he had only one legal move left. _Dang it! Why can I never get the hang of this stupid game? _he thought to himself.

"Hey, you know," Kelsie suggested, sitting down next to him, "if you put that 3 of spades up on the 2 in the home cell, and then put that 4 down on that red 5, see, then you can put that 8 in the free cell you just opened up and that'll free up that ace right there, and you'll win the game."

He rolled his eyes, but moved the cards the way she had instructed. Sure enough, once the ace was freed, all the cards started going up into the home cells.

**Congratulations, you win! Do you want to play again?**

The little box flashed at him, but he ignored it. He gaped at Kelsie. "And you figured that out just by looking at the game?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, well, I play a lot," she began. "I've played – and won – every game from 1 through 656. I'm having trouble with 657, though–"

"May I ask why?" Riley interrupted.

"Because it's hard," Kelsie defended, misreading the question. "The red Kings and Jacks are stacked at the bottom of the columns and both red 10's are up at the top of the stacks, out of reach."

"No, why have you played games 1 through 656 of FreeCell?"

"Oh!" Kelsie exclaimed, now realizing what he'd meant. This she knew how to answer. She'd explained her weird obsession many times before; she knew exactly what she was going to say.

"In high school, I set out on a mission with my younger brother Dylan's help – not that he was much help – to win all 32,000 games of FreeCell. If you look in the help contents, a sidenote says, 'It is believed (although not proven) that every game is winnable.' We set out to prove it. And yes, I know there were probably better ways I could have spent my free time in high school, but I really don't care."

She stopped when she heard a faint beeping. "Hang on a second. I'll be right back," she said, pushing her chair back from the table and standing up. She headed back into the kitchen, but stopped in the doorway. "And when I get back, we are _done_ talking about FreeCell!" she added as an afterthought.

Kelsie turned the timer off and pulled the cream puffs out of the oven. She flipped the little knob on the stove, turning the oven off, and turned around to grab a small, sharp knife. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she noticed Riley leaning against the counter, watching her.

"Aaack!" she yelped, her heart racing. "You scared me!"

"Sorry," he apologized, and put his hands in his pockets. He didn't look sorry at all.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked accusingly. "I said I would just be a second."

"Sorry," he said again, not taking his eyes off her. "I like watching you do stuff in the kitchen."

"All I did was take the pan out of the oven," Kelsie pointed out, confused. She shifted nervously. Riley's intense gaze, while mesmerizing, was slightly unnerving. She didn't know why, except that something in the way he was looking at her made her feel…funny.

Now Riley was getting defensive. "I know," he said. "Can we eat them yet?"

Kelsie sighed and rolled her eyes. "No, they have to cool before we can split and fill them." She sighed again. "Come on, grab another knife and help me poke these."

"Why?" he asked. He was becoming interested in this whole cooking thing.

She misread his question again, deliberately this time. "Because if you help, we'll get done twice as fast. Then we can go check out that program of yours." She smiled. "Just kidding; you poke them so that the steam can get out. Then they won't be soggy."

"Oh," Riley said. "That makes sense." He picked up a small knife and poked at one of the cream puffs.

"Of course it makes sense," said Kelsie in a mock-snobby voice. "I explained it." She giggled. "And don't _stab_ like that; you just want to poke a small hole in the top, not slice it in half."

Riley frowned and stabbed another puff stubbornly.

"_HEY!" _she said loudly to get his attention. "If you don't stop mutilating them, you won't get any." He pouted, making her giggle again. "Come on. These need another 20 minutes to cool. Let's _go_," she urged, "and look at your tracking program now."

"Okay." Riley grinned. They both went back into the main bakery area and he sat back down at his laptop. He closed out of the FreeCell game and opened a program labeled 'EIQKSGZZT.' "Ben's idea," he explained. "He didn't want anyone to follow us, so it just says 'Charlotte' in keyboard code."

"Yeah, the 'QWERTY' code. I know." Kelsie nodded. "And that's not at all conspicuous. If I was searching someone's computer, the absolute LAST place I would look is the program with the encoded name," she said seriously.

He chuckled. "Good point. You're getting good at the whole sarcasm thing, too. I must be rubbing off on you. Now, when we were looking for the _Charlotte_, we were dealing with–"

"The hydrothermic properties of this region produce hurricane-force ice storms that cause the ocean to freeze and then melt and then refreeze, resulting in a semisolid migrating land mass that would land a ship right around here." she quoted, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

Riley was slightly taken aback, to say the least. She had just quoted something he vaguely remembered saying to one of Ian's cronies – _verbatim_. But how could she have–?

As if reading his thoughts, Kelsie explained, "Ben overheard what you said that day and thought it was pretty funny. He said something about it in an interview and, thanks to Melissa the history lover, our dorm back at college is literally a library of every interview with Benjamin Gates and Abigail Chase. You do know that what you said is nearly word-for-word out of _A History of the Arctic Circle_, don't you? Minus the part about the ship, of course."

His eyes shot daggers at her, but he pretended to ignore her gentle teasing. "Anyway, we had to factor in wind and temperature changes as well as storms – man, did we research a LOT of storms – but in order to help you, I'll need to know what it is you're trying to track. I highly doubt you are searching for a 200-year-old ship in the Arctic," he quipped.

Kelsie looked down at her hands. "No, I'm trying to find a 7-year-old ship in the Irish Sea," she said softly.

Riley sensed that this was something personal and didn't press her. "Okay," he began, "I'm going to need more data on the ship and a few other things."

She lifted her head and tried to put on a smile. "Great!" she said. "Why don't you put together a list of all the information we'll need, and I'll try to get as much of it as I can."

He didn't like how her mood had changed in the last minute, so he decided to try and distract her. "I'd love to. But I can't put anything together right now," he declared, receiving a questioning glance from Kelsie.

"Why not?" she demanded.

He put on the most pathetic face he could manage. "Because we still haven't eaten anything yet. I don't operate well when I'm hungry." He coughed. _"Hint! Hint!"_ He looked hopefully at Kelsie and was inwardly relieved to see that she was laughing now.

"Fine. Whatever." She sighed, shaking her head. "I guess we can go finish the éclairs – they probably should be cool enough by now, anyway. You are _pathetic_!" she added when she realized he was already in the kitchen.

"Hey!" he objected loudly, poking his head back in to scowl at her from the doorway. "Pathetic? What happened to 'Geek' and 'Super Geek'?" He used air quotes to emphasize his two new favorite nicknames.

"I'll use them when they fit, and right now, pathetic fits." She said this as if it should have been obvious.

Riley stuck his tongue out at her. "You know what? I don't even care, anyway," he insisted as he disappeared back into the kitchen. "I get éclairs and it's not even Saturday!"

"Don't you _dare_ stick your finger in the whipped cream!" Kelsie warned.

"Awww, man, you take the fun out of _everything_!" he grumbled, closing the fridge.

She shook her head and laughed. "Don't touch the glaze, either!" she scolded, coming into the kitchen behind him.

Riley carefully replaced the plastic wrap over the glaze and grinned sheepishly.

Kelsie rolled her eyes. "Seriously, am I going to have to baby-sit you?" she asked, and pulled out the whipped cream. She closed the fridge and turned to find that Riley had already set the bowl of glaze and the tray of cream puffs on the counter. He'd also set out a sharp knife and a variety of different kitchen utensils: spoons, scoops, spatulas, and even a turkey baster. He really had no idea what he was doing. "What's all this?" she inquired.

He shrugged. "I didn't know what you needed to finish these, so I just got out a bunch of things," he explained.

Shaking her head in mock exasperation, Kelsie selected a small-sized scoop and a small rubber spatula. She picked up the knife Riley had set out as well. "Put the rest of this stuff back where you found it," she ordered, and began splitting the cream puffs in half.

* * *

Okay, I thought a couple things might need clarification: yes, Riley's computer password refers to the whole Daylight Savings Time thing in the movie. Riley was so cute there... And yes, I am trying to win every FreeCell game and yes, I was stuck on game 657 for a long time. But, since this was written, I am now on game 864. Yeah, I have no life. I'm even memorizing the Declaration of Independence for no reason other than I love National Treasure. And now I forgot the other thing I was going to explain here, so if something is confusing, just let me know. Okay, I'm posting now. I've done my job, you guys do yours: REVIEW!!! (please?) 

And to ensure reviews, here's a sneak peek at chapter 7:

Riley puts whipped cream on Kelsie's nose; both of them listen to strange voices in their head, and they end up going back to the Historyfest!

Oh, and Riley thinks he made Kelsie cry!


	7. Is Through His Stomach

A/N: Sorry it's been so long, guys, but with school and everything, all the end-of-year stuff, I haven't had time to get this typed. A lot has been going on - I went to Senior Ball just nearly 2 weeks ago! May 12...it was so much fun! And I turned 17 - today! So I'm updating, and you all know reviews are the best present I could get...hint, hint. Oh, yeah, I got the éclair recipe up, too; it's on my Myspace blog. The links on my profile page, so anyone interested, check it out! There is absolutely no substance in this chapter, its just a little fluff for you guys!

Disclaimer: I forgot this last chapter, didn't I? I don't own anything except Kelsie (actually, I AM Kelsie, not really, but she's based off me), her aunt and cousins, Melissa, the bakery, whatever. Okay, enjoy!

* * *

Riley picked up the remaining items and put them all back in the drawers he'd gotten them out of. He wandered around the big kitchen for a minute before heading back to the counter where Kelsie was now glazing the filled éclairs. He stood behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder and wrapping one arm around her waist. "Those look good," he murmured, indicating the finished pastries. 

"Yes, they do look nice, don't they?" she agreed, before whirling around to face him. "HEY!" protested Kelsie loudly. Riley had stuck his finger in the whipped cream again. "I thought I told you not to–"

He silenced her by poking her in the nose, leaving a dab of whipped cream there. The corners of Kelsie's mouth twitched as she tried desperately to maintain a stern expression; a very difficult endeavor, considering the stupid grin Riley had plastered on his face. He looked very pleased with himself.

Kelsie rubbed the cream off her nose and wiped it on Riley's cheek. He leaned forward and placed his hands on the edge of the countertop on either side of her, trapping her between him and the counter. He was still grinning stupidly; he looked so adorable, she couldn't even pretend to be mad at him. She picked up one of the finished éclairs and held it up to him. "Here," she offered.

Rather than dropping his hands and taking the pastry from her, Riley just leaned forward and took a bite while she still held it. And he nearly died.

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm," he sighed happily, and his eyes just about rolled back into his head. He closed his eyes in pleasure.

Kelsie tilted her head to one side and watched, amused. An old quote she remembered hearing once in high school came instantly to mind: _"The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach."_ If all guys reacted to good cooking with even _half_ the enthusiasm Riley was showing right now, no lawyer in the world would ever be able to disprove that statement. She started to giggle.

Just then, Riley finished swallowing and his eyes snapped open. Kelsie abruptly stopped giggling as his deep sapphire-blue eyes bored into her bright emerald-green ones. Neither blinked for what seemed like hours; they just stayed where they were, staring into each others eyes.

'_Just do it!'_ screamed a voice inside Riley's head. _'Just kiss her!'_ He wanted to. He really did. But, this was _insane_! He'd known this girl for what, two and a half hours? Yes, that was right, he clearly remembered noticing the clock had read 8:55 just a few minutes ago. He'd noticed the time when Kelsie turned off the timer, and he remembered she'd come sat down by him about a half-hour into the party, which started–

'_CUT IT OUT!'_ the voice shouted at him. _'It doesn't matter what time she came to the party, so stop thinking about it and just kiss her! NOW, before you lose the moment!'_

Heart racing and completely ignoring the fact that he was obeying a strange voice in his head, Riley leaned forward slightly, inching his face closer to Kelsie's. They were so close, he could see every detail of Kelsie's face in sharp focus: the freckles on her nose, her amazingly green eyes, the tear running down her cheek...Hold it! Was she crying?

He immediately pulled back and he could feel his face heating up. "Um, are you alright? What's wrong?" he asked, seriously concerned. Kelsie let her head fall forward onto Riley's chest. He was horrified to see her shoulders were shaking. "Are you – um – I shouldn't've – er, I'm sorry," he mumbled lamely. He wasn't sure if he should put his arms around her, so he settled on patting the top of her head awkwardly.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Kelsie insisted, but her head was still buried in Riley's chest, and his shirt muffled her voice. She pulled back and looked up at him. "No sorries, okay, listen to me!" She put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a little shake. "No, don't look at the floor – look at me. I am not crying, and you have absolutely nothing to be sorry about, okay?"

Riley finally lifted his head and looked into Kelsie's face as she'd asked. He noticed that although her eyes and cheeks were wet, her nose wasn't red and here eyes were not puffy. "You certainly fooled me. Are you sure you aren't into acting? And if that wasn't crying, what on earth was it?"

"Well, um, this may sound stupid, but we were kind of having a moment there, with the whole locked-eyes thing, you know? And I didn't want to ruin it or miss anything or worse yet, _lose_ the kinda-sorta staring contest or whatever, so I kind of forgot for a minute that my eyes water really bad when I keep them open. And after that I was just kind of laughing at my own stupidity. Oh, yeah, my eyes water whenever I yawn, to, so if I ever say 'I'm just tired' if it looks like I've been crying, that's why." Kelsie winced inwardly at her uncanny ability to start babbling in situations like this. She was getting way off subject.

"Any way," she continued, getting back to the point, "we're cool, so chill." _Cool and chill in the same sentence?_ she berated herself silently. She hadn't caught the pun until after she'd already said it. Oops.

"Um, great. Yeah, we're cool. Okay," Riley agreed, and took a deep breath. "So, now what?"

"I don't know. Oh, wait, yes I do! What time is it?"

"Just a little after nine," he told her.

"Are you okay with going back to the Historyfest? I told Melissa I'd meet back up with her at 9:30 to watch the fireworks." Noticing Riley's expression, Kelsie added, "The fireworks are going to be _outside,_ dummy. You won't have to smell any old documents."

His eyes brightened. "Oh, yeah! Okay, let's go."

"Hang on a second." Kelsie crossed her arms and frowned at Riley over the counter. _Why is he in such a hurry?_ she thought to herself. "We can't leave yet. I need to finish the last few of these and then I need to clean up in here before we can go anywhere."

Riley had made it halfway across the room when Kelsie's voice stopped him. He turned around, looking thoughtful. "Okay, how does this sound: I'll go get my computer put away and back in the car while you finish the last of those," he indicated the pastries she was nearly done with, "and then I can help you clean up in here."

Kelsie could not believe what she was hearing. "Wait a minute; you're actually _volunteering_ to help me clean in the kitchen? Are you serious?"

"Um…yeah?" _Is there something wrong with that?_ Riley thought. "I mean, I don't really know where most of this goes or what to do, but I could always help you wash the dishes or wipe off the counter, I guess. Why?"

She shrugged. "Most guys I know would do absolutely anything to get out of cleaning the kitchen. I'm just surprised that you're willing to help."

"Yeah, well, I'm cool like that," Riley boasted. He stood up a little straighter in an attempt to look "cool." He failed miserably. He even tried walking out of the kitchen backwards, slammed _SMACK!_ right into the refrigerator.

"Oh, that was smooth. Yeah, cool like what, exactly?"

Riley's face went a deep shade of crimson and he attempted to ignore Kelsie's sarcastic comment. "Shut up," he muttered. "I'll be back in a minute."

And he was. Kelsie finished glazing the éclairs and put them in a box to bring with them. She had just filled up the big, industrial-sized sink with hot, soapy water (there weren't enough dishes to bother with the dishwasher), when Riley came back inside. Wordlessly, he took the dishrag from her and started washing the handful of dishes Kelsie had used. Working together, they got the kitchen cleaned up in no time.

"Right. Okay." Kelsie finished drying her hands on a dishtowel and hung it over the handle on the oven door. "So, _now_ we can go – and you can carry those." She thrust the bakery box at Riley. "I figure we can share them with our friends while we watch the fireworks." She stopped and flipped the "OPEN" sign on the door over to read "CLOSED."

"NO!" Riley blurted. He clutched the box of éclairs possessively. "What if I don't want to share?" he asked slyly as they walked, side-by-side, out of the bakery.

"Maybe you just don't want any at all," Kelsie taunted, locking the door. "Just because you're holding the box doesn't mean they're all yours."

He stuck his tongue out at her, but didn't say anything. He held the door open for her when they reached his Ferrari, and set the box down carefully in the space between the two seats before getting into the driver's side and starting the ignition. Glancing sideways at Kelsie, Riley laid his arm across the back of her seat, basically resting it over her shoulders. He still said nothing, and turned his full attention to the road.

Kelsie felt Riley put his arm around her. She turned to smile at him, but he was being very focused on his driving; so she settled back into her seat, mulling over everything that had happened the past three hours – particularly the last half-hour. Wow. She couldn't believe how comfortable she was around Riley; normally she was so self-conscious. But, around him, she felt safe, protected. But why? This was all happening so fast, and she was becoming very confused.

She was also confused about the whole non-kiss-thing or whatever it was that had happened between them. Not because Riley had almost kissed her – oddly enough, that part didn't surprise her at all – but because of how badly she had wanted him to. She had _wanted_ him to kiss her. _Why?_ None of this made any sense.

That's not true, though, she realized. It didn't make any sense _now,_ when she was thinking about it and analyzing it to death. But when it was happening, in the moment, all of it was perfectly logical. In fact, the more she thought about things and tried to figure them out, the more unclear everything became. So Kelsie decided she was going to stop thinking, and just feel.

They reached the Archives and got out of the car. As they made their way back up to the building, Kelsie moved a little closer to Riley and slipped her hand in his.

* * *

A/N: Okay, now, all the other times I've posted, I've had at least the next chapter written. I'd just needed to type it and post it. Not so, now, I'm still stuck in chapter 8. It is not working the way I want it to, and I'm about ready to give up on it. The only think keeping me from doing that is the thought of all you people who read my story. So, if you don't want me to give up writing in despair, you better review to help me get through this. It may be a while before I update again, but hopefully with summer I'll have more free time to write. So, bear with me, please! 

Oh, and does anyone know a good name I could give an Archives security guard for the next chapter? The only name I can think of is Gunther, and that just doesn't fit for me. So, the suggestion box is open, and whoever suggests the name I end up using gets points! And cookies! So press the little purple button and...REVIEW!


	8. Night at the Archives

A/N: Whoa, guys! Thanks to everybody who reviewed the last chapter; you've all been such a big help. And don't worry;I'm doing fine with the writing and I know where this is going now, at least for the next couple of chapters. Again, a BIG thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed, and I do have a few particular shoutouts to a few people who helped make this story (and more specifically, this chapter) happen.

My Melissa, who lent me her copy of National Treasure that sparked the obsession in me. Also for helping me along the whole way, and that one suggestion she made at camp that got me out of yet another rut. (Even though you didn't officially review chapters 6 & 7, I was kinda there when you read the chapters, kinda making it pointless for you to review to me _and_ on the computer. That didn't make any sense at all. I'm gonna shut up now.)

BG Sparrow, whose story, _Another Clue,_ inspired me to finally put my own story on paper. And for her encouragement along the way. (I will eventually take you up on that offer to help with ideas. Probably when I actually get to the plot part of the story.)

daisyduke80, who has reviewed every single chapter so far. Thanks for the enthusiasm!

crazyinulover, thank you for your review. That was exactly what I needed to hear that day. I was getting worried because my story _wasn't _one of those "they annoy each other before going on a treasure adventure and then they fall in love!" kinda stories. I'm glad to know people like it the way it is.

Kurea14 and Dimonah Tralon, for the name suggestion of Larry. I kinda took it a little farther than just the name. But you two get the points and cookies, 'cuz that's the name I picked, and the name that inspired a whole new part to this story.

And everyone else, too! Don't feel bad just because I might not have mentioned your name specifically. It doesn't mean your review didn't help; EVERY review helps, ALOT.

Disclaimer: I own, like, squat, m'kay? Anything National Treasure-ey belongs to Disney and whoever (whomever?) else it belongs to. The song excerpt (slightly modified, changing "he" to "she") belongs to Vertical Horizon.

Okay, I'm done yammering now, ENJOY The Long-Awaited Chapter 8!

**_3 days earlier_**

"You, there! Night guard!"

Honestly, I've had this job for a year now; you'd think by now Dr. McPhee would at least remember my name.

Whoops, sorry! I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Larry Daley, night guard for the Museum of Natural History in New York. Dr. McPhee is the uptight museum director; also known as: my boss. He's not really a people person.

I headed over to where my boss was standing, praying Jed and Octavius hadn't done anything stupid last night. "What's up?" I asked, and instantly regretted it. You _**never**_ say 'what's up' to Dr. McPhee. I braced myself…

"'What's up?' You want to know 'what's up?' I'll tell you 'what's up.' This-this-" He handed me a letter, shaking his head.

I scanned the notice – addressed to _me_, I might add. Why on earth my boss was going through _my_ mail is beyond me. Anyway, apparently there was some party deal going on this Independence Day at the National Archives Building in D.C., and the people holding the event needed some extra security – especially since so many people were taking the day off that night. The job for that one night paid more than I make in a week, and I had been "highly recommended" as a good candidate.

"You do realize that now they'll expect you at this-this-?" Dr. McPhee waved his arms around, eventually gesturing at the letter in my hand. His voice was going all high-pitched and he was having trouble finishing his sentences, a sure sign that he was really wound up. "You can't go off signing up for things like this without consulting me! You have a responsibility here! Do you know what 'responsibility' means? It doesn't mean…." He flailed his arms around again. I guess he doesn't know what he means either.

By this time Rebecca had noticed something was up, and she hurried over to see if she could help calm things down. I tend to respond to pressure with sarcasm and a smart mouth, which usually only makes the museum director even more mad. Rebecca always seems to know when to step in and how to smooth things over.

She took the letter from me and read through it quickly, then smiled sweetly at our boss. "Well, this shouldn't be a problem. It's for the Fourth of July. Larry has that night off anyway, don't you Larry?" I nodded silently, trying to hide my shock. She was lying through her teeth! "I'm covering for him that night, Dr. McPhee, don't you remember? Maybe you need to lie down. Are you sure you're feeling okay?" The director nodded uncertainly, then turned and just walked out of the museum, mumbling to himself.

"Thank you," I said to Rebecca once he was gone. "I think that's the hundredth time you've saved my butt since I started working here."

She shrugged. "Hundred and twenty-seventh time, actually, but who's counting?

I grinned. She really was a great friend. It's too bad, really, that we didn't work out as a couple, but there just wasn't that spark, you know? Anyway, there aren't any hard feelings between us, and we've managed to stay really good friends.

"So," I asked her, "are you responsible for this?" I pointed at the letter from the people in D.C. that she was still holding.

Rebecca shook her head. "No. Well, actually, I knew about it, but it was Cecil who set it up. Kind of an apology for everything he put you through your first week here."

And probably also a thank-you for not ratting them out, but I didn't mention that out loud. Rebecca still didn't know the whole story of what happened that night, and I intended to keep it that way. "Yeah, I suppose," was all I said before changing the subject. "So, are you sure you can hold down the fort while I'm gone? It's a whole lot calmer lately, but Jedediah and Octavius still like to get into mischief. And don't even get me started on that monkey…"

Rebecca laughed. "I think you are the only one who has a problem with Dexter. He's perfectly civil to me–for a monkey." I scowled at her, but she ignored me. "Actually," she continued, "I do have a bunch of questions–especially about the Hall of African Mammals. And Rexy, too. Maybe we could get together later and grab some coffee?" I was just about to object–didn't she remember that we'd been down that road and it didn't work?–when she added, "Just a colleague-to-colleague, information download sort of coffee." She was struggling desperately to hold back a grin, and I could tell she was mocking me. Whatever.

"Alright," I agreed, looking at my watch. Oh, no! It was 3:15 already! I groaned. "I forgot that it's Friday. I'm supposed to pick Nicky up from school today, but I'll never get there by 3:30!" My car was in the repair shop, and it was a 45-minute walk from the museum to the school. Even if I took the train, I'd never make it.

"You know what? I don't have another tour for an hour. I could take you to the school to pick up Nicky, and then he can come with us. I'm pretty sure he knows more about half these exhibits than you do." Rebecca, always the problem-solver, had saved the day yet again. "And maybe we should make it ice cream instead of coffee," she added.

She is perfect. I mean it. She'd be perfect for me, perfect for Nicky. So why don't I like her that way?

_She's everything you want, she's everything you need_

_She's everything inside of you that you wish you could be_

_She says all the right things at exactly the right time_

_But she means nothing to you and you don't know why_

* * *

_**Present**_

After plotting several matchmaking schemes to get Kelsie and Riley together – each idea more ridiculous than the last – Melissa and Abigail had finally decided to just leave things alone for a while. Of course, their decision definitely had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the stern lecture they'd received from Ben, detailing every single reason they shouldn't meddle in other people's business. No, it had nothing to do with that. They had just gotten around to talking about other things and realized how much they had in common. They even _looked_ alike; they were both tall and slender, and they both had curly, dark-blond hair and pretty, blue eyes. They could easily pass for sisters. The two had quickly become fast friends.

Abigail was sitting on top of her desk, kicking her legs childishly while Melissa spun around in Abi's desk chair. "So, how are things with you and Ben?" she asked.

Abigail's legs stopped moving. She looked down at the watch on her wrist; a birthday gift from Ben. It was a slim, silver piece with 12 diamonds encrusted around the edge, spaced around the numbers around the watch face. "I don't know, exactly," she said slowly after a short pause. "We've been going out for nearly a year, but lately he's been so secretive. I'm starting to get a little worried, actually."

Melissa stopped spinning and stared at Abigail. "You think he might be seeing someone else?" she asked, shocked.

Abi bit her lip nervously. "I don't think so; or, at least, I hope not. I don't really have any real reason to think he is, but like I said, he's been so secretive. He'll be talking with Riley, and then they'll both go silent when I enter the room. He got a call the other day while I was there and I answered the phone. It was a woman's voice and he took the call in the other room."

"Oy!" Melissa let out a breath and allowed her head to fall back onto the chair. "You know, Abi, what you really need to do is go talk to Ben. Don't get mad or he'll get defensive, but you need to get this out in the open. It's possible this could all just be a big misunderstanding."

"You're right," Abi agreed. It just frustrated her that this bothered her so much. She was Abigail Ann Chase! She did not need a man to define her; she had everything she wanted. And most of all, she certainly did not need Benjamin Franklin Gates to make her happy!

So why did the thought of being without him hurt so badly?

"You could go talk to him now," Melissa suggested.

Abigail nodded. "I could, yes. Yes, I think I will. I'm going to go talk to Ben. Right now." She scooted forward and pulled open the top drawer of her desk – forcing Melissa to scoot back in the chair – and pulled out a hair tie. She pulled her thick blond curls out of her face and secured them with the elastic in a no-nonsense ponytail. Abigail slid off the desk, closing the drawer as she stood up.

Melissa rose to her feet as well, and gave her new friend a quick hug. "Good luck," she whispered.

"Thank you for listening," Abi replied. "You have no idea – _I_ had no idea – just how much I needed to talk to somebody about this. I feel like I've known you my whole life."

Melissa wrinkled her nose. "Alright, alright, don't get all 'pineapple' on me." She grinned. "Save the mushy stuff for your boyfriend, okay?"

Abigail grinned back as she slipped out the door. Now slightly bored and restless, Melissa wandered around the office, looking at all the mementos and pictures Abi had decorating her workplace. She smiled at one picture of Abigail and Ben. It was a candid shot – the couple didn't seem to know they were being photographed. They were walking through a garden side-by-side; Ben had his arm around Abi's shoulders and her arm was around his waist. She was smiling at the flowers but he was gazing at her, a lazy grin on his face. They both looked very happy. _Somehow, I think they'll be OK,_ Melissa thought. She slipped outside and walked slowly down the hallway, studying the pictures on the walls.

"_**HEY, THERE!!!"**_ came a voice from behind her.

Melissa whirled around and came face-to-face with a tall, dark-haired man in a security uniform. _Uh-oh,_ she thought.

"I don't think you're supposed to be here," he said sternly.

* * *

A/N: A'ight, whaddya'll think? Oh, and ignore the pineapple part. That's an inside joke. Of course, if enough people review, I might explain it. I might also explain hiccups. Just never announce that you have hiccups when you are on a date. That probably makes no sense whatsoever, and maybe I'm just giddy that I've finally got this chapter up, but trust me, it's funny when you hear the whole thing. 

Okay, everybody! REVIEW!!!! Please!!


	9. Friends! Fireworks! And Flirting?

A/N: Whew! This chapter wrote itself. It was weird. I sat down with a pen and this just spilled out. I didn't even think very hard. I wish everything I wrote would do that.

Anywho, I need to clarify a few things. Firstly, I forgot to say in the disclaimer last chapter that I don't own anything or anyong from Night at the Museum. I don't. So there. Secondly, I want to say that this is **NOT** going to be a full-blown crossover. Sorry. The only NATM character you're going to see from here on out is Larry. The only reason - well actually there were two reasons - I put the museum bit in last chapter was A) I was stuck, remember? That helped me step back from the story and figure out where I was going with it, and B) My OCD would NOT let me just stick Larry _plop_ into my story. I had to _explain_ how he got there. OCD sucks sometimes. Life would be a lot easier if it didn't exist. So. Yeah.

Thank you everyone for all the wonderful reviews, they were all extremely helpful! Keep it up, it does help me write easier!

Disclaimer: All things NT belong to Disney, Larry belongs to...whoever (whomever?) he belongs to. (I'm too lazy to go find the DVD case)

Hope you all enjoy, and now here's chapter 9!

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Melissa's mind was racing. _What do I do now?_ she thought. She decided the simplest and least complicated thing to do would be to simply tell the truth. "I was with Abigail Chase; we were talking in her office just a few minutes ago," she explained, indicating the open office just behind her.

The security guard crossed his arms and stared down at her. He didn't look convinced. "And where exactly is Ms. Chase?" he asked. "I don't see her."

Slightly nervous, Melissa told him, "She left to go talk to Ben for a minute."

"Right," he said, nodding. "How long have you and Ms. Chase been friends?"

"Oh, well, um, I only just met her tonight, actually," she stammered. She realized how ridiculous her situation truly sounded and wondered briefly if it was too late to try to flirt her way out of trouble. The guy was rather good-looking, after all.

She got the shock of her life, however, when he grinned at her and said, "I know. You're Melissa, right? I'm Larry." He extended a hand for her to shake.

Melissa shook his hand absently, not quite sure what was going on. She made her best attempt to compose a perfectly well-worded sentence (or question) that expressed every ounce of utter confusion she was experiencing at that moment, but all that came out of her mouth was, _"Huh?"_

"I talked to Abigail a few minutes ago," Larry explained, and she let me know that you're clear to be back here."

"Then why did you scare me half to death just now?" Melissa demanded, indignant. She was extremely relieved that she wasn't in trouble, but she was not pleased about being tricked.

Larry shrugged innocently. "I just wanted a good excuse to be able to talk to a pretty girl," he said smoothly.

Melissa went red. So _he_ was flirting with _her, _instead of the other way around. This could get interesting…

* * *

"No! I don't want to!" Upon reaching the Archives Building, Riley had plopped down on the steps and was stubbornly refusing to go inside. 

"And why on earth not?" Kelsie asked.

Riley wrinkled his nose. "Old documents smell funny, remember? I thought we weren't going back inside; we were just going to watch the fireworks."

Kelsie rolled her eyes at Riley's childish behavior. She realized then that all Riley wanted was attention, and he was all but throwing a temper tantrum to get it. _Okay,_ she thought. _If he wants to act like a three-year-old, then I'm going to treat him like a three-year-old. _"Riley, stand up this instant," she ordered. "We're going inside NOW. Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one!" When he remained stubbornly where he was, refusing to move, Kelsie decided to use her last resort trick she'd learned from babysitting the twins. "Fine," she said coolly, moving towards the doors, "just sit there. I'm going inside to find Melissa. You can just stay out here all by yourself."

"No, wait!" Riley called, scrambling to his feet. "I'm coming!" In his effort not to be left behind, he ran into the door.

Kelsie shook her head in disbelief. "You are such a toddler," she told him as she helped him inside.

Riley seemed extremely offended. "I am not!" he insisted.

"Oh, you are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Oh, look, there's Ben!" Riley pointed out. "C'mon, let's go introduce you."

_So much for not wanting to come inside,_ Kelsie thought, following Riley over to where Ben was shaking hands with people.

"Kelsie," Riley introduced, "this is my good friend, Ben Gates. I'm sure you've heard of him." Kelsie nodded, shaking with silent laughter. "Ben, this is Kelsie Greene."

"Nice to meet you, Kelsie," Ben said, shaking her hand. "Would you like to join us to watch the fireworks outside? They should start soon."

"I'd love to," Kelsie said eagerly, "but first I need to find my friend Melissa."

Ben chuckled. "That shouldn't be difficult," he told her. "Last time I checked, she was off with Abigail in her office, giggling like a pair of teenagers. In fact," he added, "I think that's Abi coming right now."

Indeed it was "Oh, you're back!" Abigail said to Riley as she came to stand beside Ben. "You must be Kelsie," she said to the redheaded girl. "I've heard so much about you from Melissa. I'm Abigail."

"Speaking of Melissa," Riley said, "where is she? Kelsie needed to find her."

Abigail seemed a little taken aback. She remembered that the reason she had come out here without Melissa was that she needed to talk to Ben alone – which she wouldn't get a chance to do now, not for a while. "Oh, she's still in my office, I – "

"Great!" Ben said loudly, interrupting her. "Why don't you two girls go and get her, then meet us back here?" He gave Abi's hand a quick squeeze and smiled at her.

Abigail smiled back, but Kelsie thought it seemed forced. Neither of the men noticed anything wrong, however, and Abi led Kelsie back to her office where she had left Melissa.

Once the girls were out of earshot, Ben turned to Riley. "I'm doing it tonight," he told the younger man, grinning widely.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, all six of them: Kelsie, Riley, Ben, Abigail, Melissa, and Larry (who joined them when his shift ended at 9:30) were all outside on a huge blanket on the ground, seated in pairs. Ben and Abigail sat together, and Larry quickly claimed the spot next to Melissa. Kelsie sat by Riley with her head resting on his shoulder while he was absently playing with her hair. 

The fireworks were amazing, but no one seemed to be watching them. Larry was busy flirting with Melissa by poking and tickling her, and Melissa was absorbed in trying (unsuccessfully) to ignore him. Ben and Riley kept glancing at each other and grinning knowingly, and Abigail was busy worrying about when she would finally have chance to talk to Ben about all the secrecy he was having. Kelsie was the only one of the group who was actually watching the fireworks, but even she wasn't paying any attention at all to the colorful display of light and sound. She was reliving the evening's events in her mind, a small smile on her face.

After an intense finale, which none of them watched, the show was over. They all started to stand up and stretch, but Ben asked them to sit back down. "I have something I need to say," he told them as he stood up. "Abi," he said, holding out a hand to help her to her feet. The other four looked on as he turned Abigail to face him, both her hands in his. Kelsie thought Riley's face would permanently stretch if he smiled any wider. He alone seemed to know what was going on, other than Ben himself.

"I've been waiting for the right time to say this," Ben continued. "And even if that time is not now, I couldn't wait another hour. Abigail," he said softly, looking directly into her eyes, "I met you nearly a year ago in that building, right over there. That same day, before Riley and I came to talk to you, we had gone to both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. Neither of them believed us. I couldn't understand or explain then why it mattered to me so much what _you _thought of me. Everyone else in the country already thought I was crazy, why should I care what one more person thought? But I did care, more than I ever let on, and now I know why.

"Abi, I love you. I love everything about you. I love your mind, your strength, and your courage. I admire your focus and energy. I love your passion for history. I love the way your hair falls into your face when you're working. I even love your tendency to slip into German when you get really mad."

Everyone laughed at that. Ben dropped Abigail's hands then, and reached into his pocket. Getting down on one knee, he pulled out a small jeweler's box. He opened it and said slowly, "Abigail Ann Chase, will you marry me?"

Tears streaming down her face, Abi nodded. _"Yes,"_ she whispered, smiling and crying at the same time. Grinning in triumph, Ben slipped the ring onto her finger and rose to take her into his arms while the others clapped and cheered.

Abigail was sobbing openly now, but they were happy tears. "I was afraid you were seeing someone else," she confessed quietly to Ben, much to his amazement. She explained, "All those secrets with Riley, they were about this, weren't they? And that woman who called last week–"

"Worked at the jeweler's office and was double checking the size on the ring," he reassured her.

"Show us the ring!" Melissa begged.

Abigail gave her new fiancée a quick kiss before pulling away to show off the beautiful engagement ring. The band was white gold, and very simple. There were six tiny diamonds, three on either side of the much larger center diamond. If you looked at a certain angle, the main diamond seemed almost to have a glow about it, sort of a faint greenish tinge.

Riley gave Ben a congratulatory slap on the back. Larry looked as if he had recognized something and was trying to place where he'd seen it before, and Melissa was chatting excitedly with Abigail. Kelsie looked like she was going to be sick.

Melissa noticed it first. "Kelsie, what's the matter?" Kelsie took a step backward, eyes wide. "What's wrong?" Melissa repeated.

"Nothing," she replied in a strangled voice. "I – I've got to go." She turned around and ran, leaving everyone else in utter confusion.

Melissa started to go after her friend, but Riley stopped her. "I'll go," he said, and Melissa nodded. Riley headed in the direction Kelsie had run off to.

* * *

A/N: Dun, dun duuuuuuuuuuuuun! What's going on with Kelsie? Haha, you'll have to review to find out! Which reminds me, it's time for another NAME SUGGESTION CONTEST! I need a girl's name this time, something Irish and royal-sounding. Winner gets points and cookies! (or should I go all-out and offer éclairs as the prize?) That's it! E-clairs to the winner! Haha, lol! Like E-mail, but it's E-clairs, get it? Never mind... 

Oh yeah, I was going to explain pineapple! Has anyone seen the Crocodile Hunter youtube video? If you have, you'll understand the pineapple comment from last chapter. If you haven't seen it, it's at:

h t t p / w w w . y o u t u b e . com / watch ? v S M M 2 Y g c A H b o

(take out the spaces) If you have seen it or check it out and still don't get it, e-mail me.

Oh, and hiccups too! You know what? I think I'm going to wait on that. Keep you guessing. I'll explain it next chapter if I get enough reviews...(hint hint)

So...REVIEW! please?


	10. Running From the Past

**A/N:** I'm back! Sorry for the long delay, everyone! Please don't throw things at me!

I had the first part of this (the Kelsie running part, up till Riley calls Ben) written not long after I posted 9, and then I was stuck. That's why the first part after that is kind of sarcastic; I was forcing myself to write. Then, I wrote off and on in spare moments and got it written out, but not typed. Then I kinda forgot. Yes, I forgot about my story! I got caught up with school and work and just...forgot. Sorry! But! Here is proof of the power of reviews: I got a 3 last week begging me to update (PropheticIllusion even reviewed on chapter 7, just to get another one in) and it REMINDED ME! See, they really do help!

Oh, and at the end, they're all sitting at a table. You kinda need to know where they're all sitting to understand some of the stuff in this chapter and the next one. I tried to explain it in the descriptions in the story, but just in case, they're sitting around a big round table in this order, going clockwise: Kelsie, Larry, Melissa, Abigail, Ben, and then Riley. (so Riley's still sitting next to Kelsie) I hope that makes sense!

Disclaimer: I fully disclaim anything to do with the original National Treasure movie, and/or the sequel (which is out in 27 days!!!), and also Larry. And the museum.

Have fun with Chapter 10, finally!

_

* * *

Oh my gosh, it's real! – **No, it isn't! **– Yes, it is! – **No! It's just a silly children's story!**_ Kelsie turned all her attention to running, pushing all the contradicting thoughts out of her mind and preventing herself from being able to fully absorb what had just happened. She wasn't even paying attention to where she was going; she was simply moving as fast as humanly possible away from the frightening truth, away from reality. Until now, she had never believed the old stories her mother used to tell; she thought they were just that – stories. But every myth, every legend is born from a grain of truth; this legend had remained whole and intact, untainted by the alterations that time all-too-often bestows on similar tales.

Out of breath and out of energy (she never was much of an athlete), Kelsie slowed to a stop to rest her lungs. She happened to notice that she had stopped right in front of Riley's Ferrari._ How on earth did I end up here?_ she said to herself, not realizing she'd spoken aloud. For reasons she couldn't begin to explain if she tried, she whirled around, prepared to ignore the painful protests of her burning lungs and aching legs, and start running again.

She had barely moved a step when a pair of hands caught her by the shoulders, holding her firmly in place. "Kelsie, what's wrong?" Riley asked. "Why did you run off like that?"

"I…I-" Kelsie stammered, looking at her shoes. "It's _real_," she finally whispered, and she broke down sobbing.

"Shh, calm down," Riley soothed. "Come here, it's okay." He pulled her to him, put his arms around her, and just let her cry.

* * *

_-OK, I'll tell you what. Next time we find a treasure that redefines history for all mankind, you make the call on the finder's fee._

_-That's not as funny. What do you care? You got the girl._

_-It's true._

_-It's true.

* * *

_

_Ben got the girl._ And that made all the difference, Riley realized. That's why the money didn't matter as much to him. Riley got it now. He would gladly give every penny of his "half of one percent" if it would help Kelsie stop crying. And yet, that wasn't quite it, either – he wanted to fix whatever was making her cry in the first place.

After a few minutes, the tears stopped, but Kelsie didn't move for fear Riley would let her go. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to stay there and have him continue to hold her, because she had never felt safer anywhere than right there, in his arms.

But he did let go. They couldn't stand there forever, no matter how much Kelsie wanted to. Riley pulled back and asked, "Now, what's going on? What's 'real?'" Kelsie said nothing, but lifted her gaze to meet his. Deep sapphire eyes met bright (albeit red and puffy), green ones and an understanding passed between them. Something in her expression told Riley that whatever was going on, it was big. It was, "Riley, buddy, how would you like to blow this windowless cubicle and help us find a ship?" big.

_Here we go again…_

Riley lifted his hand and used his thumb to gently wipe the remaining tears from Kelsie's cheeks. "Do want to tell me about it now, or wait and tell everyone all at once?" he asked.

Kelsie took a deep breath and looked away. "I just want to do this once," she admitted in a small voice.

"OK," Riley murmured, equally softly. He unzipped his hoodie, pulled it off and wrapped it around her shoulders. Guiding her the five steps to his car, he opened the passenger side door. "Here, get in," he prompted. "We're going to Ben's." He closed the door, pulled out his cell phone, and dialed.

* * *

After Riley left to find Kelsie, the other four decided that it might me a good idea to go somewhere, instead of just standing outside on the grass doing nothing. So they all went to Ben's house, or mansion, or whatever it was, where they could sit around the massive, tastefully decorated room, and still do nothing. At least they all felt like they were being more productive. 

The silence was broken by a vaguely familiar tune – it sounded strangely like the theme song to the Indiana Jones movies. Both Larry and Melissa looked around, wondering if they were hearing things, but Abigail threw Ben an incredulous look. "You _didn't_," she accused. Ben had the decency to liik slightly sheepish as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "_One_ reporter," Abi went on, "from _one_ stupid article _suggested once_ that you could _possibly_ be compared to a modern-day Indiana Jones, and you go and make the movie's THEME SONG your RINGTONE?!?!?" She spoke in that really calm, controlled voice that is scarier than shouting, at least until the end when she actually shouted.

Ben blinked. "Um, yeah," he confirmed. "Can I answer it now? It's Riley."

Abigail sighed. "I suppose so." She would have to remember to have a talk with him and his over-inflated ego later.

"Okay. Hello? Yeah, uh-huh….well, actually, we're already over here. Yep, all four of us…okay, no problem. All right, see you soon. Bye." He put the phone away to give them all the update. "He found Kelsie – she's okay, but she seeps pretty shaken up about something. They're coming back here so she can tell us something. I have no idea what, and neither does Riley, so…that's all."

Larry looked around for a second, then said, "Um, I have a suggestion. Abigail, this is going to sound really strange, but I think you should take your ring off before they get here."

Abigail twisted her engagement ring around her finger absently and said nothing. Ben was more suspicious. "Why? What do you know?" he demanded.

"Look, I'm not going to pretend to know exactly what's happening here, okay, although I do think I might have an idea," Larry defended. "Either way, it's Kelsie's story, not mine, and all I'm saying is I think Abigail should take off her ring and put it somewhere safe before Riley comes back with Kelsie, okay?"

Ben was not satisfied by this, though he did not show it. Only Abigail noticed the subtle signs that he was still suspicious. She knew, though, that he was just being protective of her and that he was still on-edge from the events that evening. It had to have been absolutely nerve-wracking, asking her something so big, not knowing how she'd react. For all her feminist ideals, Abi was secretly glad that society still considered it the man's job to propose marriage. She knew she would never have the guts to put her heart on the line like that.

"I think he's right," she found herself saying, still fiddling with her ring. Slightly startled to realize she'd spoken aloud, and just a bit alarmed to find everyone looking at her, Abi explained, "Well, Kelsie was perfectly fine one minute, then she all of a sudden gets upset and runs away when I'm showing off my ring. Maybe she has a fear of jewelry. I don't know if that's really what made her run off, but I don't see what it would hurt to put this away for an hour while she talks to us." Abigail slipped the band off her finger and handed it to her fiancée. "Keep this safe for me, sweetie," she whispered so only he could hear. "And don't you dare lose it – I want it back." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and stood up. "I'm going to go make tea," she announced. "We could all use a warm drink right now."

"I'll help!" Melissa quickly offered. "What does everyone want?"

"Coffee," said Ben and Larry at the same time. They looked at each other strangely, then they both burst out laughing, the unspoken between them now gone. Melissa very wisely ignored them both and followed Abigail.

"So, what would you like?" Abigail asked her. "Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate?" She poured water into the coffeemaker and hit "Start."

"Chamomile tea is fine. But I know Kelsie would prefer hot chocolate."

Abi nodded, grinning. "Riley's the same way. That third door there is his, it should have hot chocolate in it."

Melissa opened the closet and found it jam-packed with chips, candy, Nesquick, and various other snacks. "Does Riley live here?" she asked, shuffling through all the junk foods until she found the can of hot chocolate mix.

"No." Abi smiled. "Neither do I, but we're both over here so often, we each have our own collection of our favorite things." She opened the pantry cupboard next to Riley's, revealing a few containers of herbal tea and several other healthy snacks, though one shelf was devoted entirely to German chocolates. She took two bags of chamomile tea from one of the boxes. "So, Melissa," Abigail added, closing the door and turning to her friend, "you and Larry seem to be getting along pretty well." Leaving her comment hanging in the air, Abi grabbed the kettle from the stove and filled it up with water at the sink.

Melissa set the can of cocoa down on the counter. She didn't seem to notice quite how loud she'd set it down. "Where are the mugs?" she asked, ignoring the playful, teasing grin on Abigail's face, or the hint of color in her own cheeks.

"That cupboard over there," Abi told her, pointing. "Middle shelf." She watched, amused, as the young girl stalked indignantly over to the indicated cupboard, pulled out six mugs, and set them all on the counter next to the cocoa. Abigail shut off the water and set the kettle back on the stove, then continued with her teasing. "There's nothing wrong with that. I actually admire your taste. Larry's pretty good-looking, and he's got that fun, cheesy sense of humor."

"Shut. Up." Melissa muttered. Ripping the plastic off the teabags, she dropped them into two of the mugs and dumped hot chocolate powder into two more.

"He likes you, you know. Larry."

"He wha- _Kelsie!"_ Any thought of the cute security guard and his potential feelings for her were forgotten when her friend appeared in the doorway. Kelsie was wrapped in Riley's navy blue hoodie and she clearly was still upset. She was followed closely by Riley, who had one arm around her shoulders protectively. Ben and Larry brought up the rear. "Are you okay? Are you all right? Do you want some hot chocolate?" Melissa asked.

Kelsie nodded and gave Melissa a small smile. "I'll get it," Riley told her. "Just sit down, right here." As he walked by her at the counter, Melissa searched the young man's face and saw only worry and concern. She sighed in resignation; Riley didn't know anything more than she did. None of them knew anything more.

Or so she thought. Larry had been watching Kelsie carefully. Outwardly, he appeared concerned, but his mind was flashing over all the legends he'd had to research in order to keep order at the museum, and one story in particular. He'd had his suspicions earlier, but now, looking at Kelsie, he felt more certain. "It's her, isn't it?" he asked her quietly. "Eistir."

Kelsie's head snapped up and she looked at him in surprise. "How do you–" she started to ask, but Larry shook his head.

"I'm familiar with the story," was all that he said. Riley handed Kelsie her mug of hot chocolate, then sat down next to her. Larry took a seat on her other side. Abigail and Melissa gave Ben and Larry their coffee before taking their chamomile tea and sitting down as well.

Everyone looked at Kelsie. Riley picked up her hand, squeezed it gently, and gave her a reassuring smile. She drained her mug of cocoa, took a deep breath, and stood up.

"Hi, everyone," she said. "I know that I've freaked all of you out tonight. I didn't mean to and I'm sorry. I've just had a bit of a shock to the system. One of those "my past has come back to haunt me" kind of things. Now, what makes this even stranger is that, except for Melissa, I've only just met all of you tonight; yet, except for Melissa, you have all managed to become deeply involved in this – well, whatever it is.

"I'm going to need your help, all of you – that is, if you agree you want to get involved. But in order for you to understand, I'm going to have to tell you a little story about my family. We're not exactly from around here. Okay, well, I was born in Ohio, but my parents and my older brother weren't born here in America." She took a deep breath before looking across the table, locking eyes with each of them one at a time, before making her next statement. "My family is from the planet Krypton."

* * *

**A/N:** A couple things...my brother Dylan mentioned breifly in chapter six...yeah, he's gonna be my older brother and his name won't be Dylan. That's what happens when your story runs away from you and does unexpected things. I wouldn't have even mentioned Dylan if I knew it would go and do what it's done...

About the name contest...er...I kinda messed up. Or my story messed up without me. I actually don't know if I'll need an Irish girl's name anymore, so E-clairs to everyone! Yeah...

So, new contest! Why does Larry seem to know so much? First person to guess correctly gets E-clairs and E-cookies!

The Randomist, signing off with one last note...please review!


	11. Eistir's Enchanted Emeralds

A/N: Nope. Read.  
Disclaimer: I own the National Treasure Puppet Pals Riley doll. That's about it. Now go read.

* * *

Her words hung in the air; nobody spoke. Melissa and Abigail both turned slowly to look at Ben, or rather, what they knew was in Ben's jacket pocket. "Oh, come on, you don't think–?" he whispered, but he pulled the small box out anyway. He handed it to Abigail because if they were right, she was the furthest away from Kelsie, and because it was her ring.

They jumped when Larry cleared his throat, but when they glanced at him, he was staring pointedly at the designs on the tablecloth. Ben and Melissa scooted closer to Abi and peered over her shoulder. Abigail threw a quick glance at Kelsie, then carefully eased the small jewelry box open a fraction of an inch. The three of them – Ben, Abigail, and Melissa – all caught a glimpse of the faint green "aura" that surrounded the diamond in Abigail's ring before Abi snapped the lid shut, eyes wide.

"No _way,"_ Melissa whispered. "Could that really be, you know, _Kryptonite?"_ She mouthed the last word as if she were afraid to say it out loud, even in a whisper.

At that point, several things happened at once. Riley, who had been gaping at Kelsie with some sort of wondrous awe, completely oblivious to the heated whisperings going on beside him, blurted, "I _knew_ there was such thing as aliens!" At the exact same moment, Larry burst into hysterical laughter – but because of what he knew was going through Ben's, Abi's, and Melissa's minds rather than Riley's outburst. Kelsie began to giggle, but she _was_ laughing at Riley.

"Oh, man," Larry gasped, holding up a hand for Kelsie to high-five. "That was _brilliant._ Perfect! You couldn't have done that better if you'd planned it!" He paused as a thought struck him. _"Did_ you plan that?" he asked. Kelsie high-fived him and sat back down, but shook her head at his question, bewildered. The look on her face was clearly asking, _"and _how _was that perfect, exactly?"_ Larry took a few deep breaths to compose himself, then pointed at the newly engaged couple and Melissa. "They think you're serious," he told her. _"And,_ they think Abigail's ring is made of Kryptonite."

Kelsie's eyes nearly bugged right out of her head. "Wh-you guys _believed_ me? I was kidding!"

"So, you're not an alien?" Riley asked.

"No."

"Oh. Well, darn." His face fell, and he looked like Kelsie had just killed Christmas.

"So," Abigail cut in, inwardly berating herself for being so susceptible, "if you're not an alien, and the ring isn't made of Kryptonite, then why is it sort of green? And why did you seem to get sick when I was showing it off?"

"I'll get to that, don't worry," Kelsie assured them. "But I think I should start the story at the beginning."

"Is this a history-type story?" Riley's question came smothered in a hint of a whine. He hated these history lessons; he got enough of them from Ben.

Ben nodded, smirking at his young friend's disinterest. "Yes, Riley. Pretty much any time a story is about events that have happened in the past, it's a "history-type" story."

Crossing his arms, Riley slouched down in his chair and scowled. "Whatever."

"I'll try to keep it exciting for you, Riley," Kelsie promised. "But please bear with me if I mess up some of the details. I never believed the story when I was little, so I never tried to remember it." She fiddled with her mug for a minute, trying to think how to begin. "Actually, I don't even remember where to start."

"Eistir, maybe?" Larry prompted. Riley, Ben, Abigail, and Melissa all turned to him, but he shook his head. "Her story, not mine."

"Thank you, Larry," Kelsie said, smiling nervously. "Um, Abigail?" she asked. "Do you think I could see your ring for a minute?"

Abigail nodded. "Yes, of course," she said, handing the box to Ben, who in turn passed it to Riley. But instead of giving the ring to Kelsie, he hesitated.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? What if it makes you sick again? I don't know–"

"Oh, calm down," Kelsie chided. She slugged him gently in the arm and pulled the ring box out of his grasp. Five people held their breath as the redhead opened the small box, expecting her to get sick again. But nothing happened.

Kelsie looked at the ring and saw the struggle within the stone. The clear gem _wanted_ to be green. It knew its history and its purpose, and was fighting to do what it knew-as far as rocks can know-was right. Unlike her. Kelsie ran her finger over the jewel gently, almost reverently. It was then that she felt the connection. Kelsie closed her eyes as the images flooded her vision. Memories from the past – her own past, her mother's past, and all the way back to _her._ The girl, the one who was first involved in all this. The girl who this jewel originally belonged to, back when it _was_ still green.

Eistir.

Kelsie opened her eyes and began to speak.

"A long time ago, a beautiful young girl lived in Ireland. Her name was Eistir Eily, which is Irish for Star Light. She was the Laird's daughter, and all the people loved her. Her favorite thing to do was to run around outside, soaking up the sun and marveling at all the beauty around her. The bright and beautiful colors of the Irish landscape fascinated her.

"For her 16th birthday, her coming-of-age, the entire loch banded together to present her with an exquisite necklace, rumored to be fairy-made. The chain was spun silver, and it held a beautiful locket imprinted with a shamrock design. One perfect emerald sparkled happily in the center of the design. Inside the pendant, however, held the real treasure: a rare four-leaf-clover was protected inside a glass disk, and fitted to the inside of the locket. The overall effect was gorgeous, and Eistir wore it proudly.

"The young girl grew to live up to her name, bringing joy and light to all around her. When her parents died, she inherited the loch, and continued to run the land in fairness, for she loved all who lived there. And they loved her in return, so much so that they asked her to be their queen. Eistir accepted, and with her grace and charm she smoothed out misunderstandings between neighbors and settled disagreements. No one argued her methods, and for many years the town lived in peace and happiness. Under her rule, even the colors of the land seemed brighter and happier.

"The people of the village talked about her to each other all the time. The magic folk who lived in the nearby areas began to listen, and heard some interesting things.

"'_The light she brings is more lovely than even the faeries,'_ one of the ladies was heard to say.

"'_Her beauty is worth more than all the ancient treasures of Ireland.'_

"'_She is bright and exciting and radiant, and she brings hope and joy when there is sadness, like a rainbow after the rain. In fact, I would say the rainbow itself is worth more than any pot of gold at the end of it.'_

"Naturally, the faeries and leprechauns were upset by this. Faeries, by nature, are very jealous creatures, and the leprechauns were just plain offended. An optical illusion of light, worth more than their gold? Preposterous.

"As with all simple-minded people, even magic folk, the first thing on their minds was revenge. They didn't stop to think that the young lady had done nothing to them, they just wanted to get vengeance for their wounded pride. The faeries, being more manipulative and cunning, brought the plan to the leprechauns. They would drive Eistir out, or take away the one thing she loved most besides her people: color.

"As a warning, they took her necklace and drained the green from the stone in the center. They warned Eistir that she could either leave, or condemn all of Ireland to the same fate as that little stone. At first, she held back, but when the leprechauns drained the color out of the first rainbow of that spring, she realized how serious they were. She fled the little town, leaving those she loved behind.

"The little people rejoiced, though they may have been a bit hasty in their plans. They did not know the extent of the love the village citizens had for the young girl. They knew nothing of the plant inside the locket; if they had, they would not have tampered with it or its owner. The magical properties of four-leaf clovers are especially well-known to leprechauns. The locket was "linked" to Eistir, as was the pigment they drained from it. But the leprechauns did not know, and neither did the fairies. They locked up the color they stole, just to be spiteful, and soon forgot about the whole affair.

"The people from the loch eventually forgot as well. Oh, they worried and fretted enough. But time passes, life goes on, and people forget things. Save stories, Eistir was soon forgotten to all of the citizens. All except one.

"Seamus O'Keith was a longtime childhood friend of Eistir's. He vanished not long after she did, and was never heard from again. Some say he went after her and was captured by a monster; others say they disappeared because they eloped.

"So, yeah," Kelsie concluded. "The emerald is supposed to draw in any of Eistir's relatives. She ran her thumb over Abigail's ring one more time and set it in the middle of the table. "And I think this is Eistir's emerald."

"The alien explanation was so much simpler," Riley blurted after a minute. "And it would have been way awesome." Everyone rolled their eyes at that, but they all chuckled appreciatively at Riley's lame humor attempt.

Once everyone had processed this new information, the questions began. "If the emerald is supposed to draw you to it, why did it make you sick?" Larry wanted to know.

"I don't know for sure," Kelsie admitted. "I've spent my whole life repressing this part of me and not believing a word of it. Maybe my subconscious wasn't ready to accept it yet, and rejected something that proved the story true."

Ben nodded. "That makes sense," he agreed. "But, what I want to know is how Larry is involved in this. He seems to know what's going on, almost more than you do, Kelsie." Ben turned to the man and narrowed his eyes slightly. "What do you know, Larry Daly? And, more importantly, _how_ do you know?"

* * *

**A/N:** Well, sorry about the confusion with the end of the last chapter. It bothered a lot of people. I honestly didn't think anyone would take it so seriously. And I would just like to take this moment to say, I **am** open to suggestions from people. If you really have a problem, or just some advice, **please**, leave me a way to contact you! Of the three people who had issue with the "I'm from Krypton" thing, only one left me a way to reach them so I could clear up the misunderstanding. I am a very friendly person! I'm not going to yell at you if you flame me! Okiday, that's all on that subject.

**I BROKE THE INFAMOUS "100" MARK!** Over 100 reviews! You guys rock! Thank you all so much!

Now, I am also so sorry it took so long to update. I'd like to say it won't happen again, but I can't promise that. My senior year has been way more hectic that I thought.  
However... I have been known to blow off AP Calculus homework in favor of a little writing spell. With enought incentive, of course. Care to throw some over? The little purple button is calling you!


End file.
